Ninja Foodi Explosion Results in Lawsuit Against SharkNinja Over Pressure Cooker Defects

A woman who suffered serious burns and injuries when her Ninja Foodie pressure cooker exploded has filed a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer, alleging that design defects allowed the lid to accidentally be removed while the contents were still under pressure, causing scalding hot contents to spray all over her body.

The complaint (PDF) was filed by Ashley Ryan Diggins in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on December 23, presenting claims against SharkNinja Operating, LLC, alleging that Ninja Foodi explosions are a known problem, yet the manufacturer continued to sell the pressure cooker to the general public without adequate warnings and instructions.

The case raises allegations similar to those presented in a growing number of pressure cooker explosion lawsuits filed in recent months, each pointing to similar safety failures that are lacking on many modern electronic pressure cookers, including Ninja Foodi, Instant Pot, Crock Pot and others.

Diggins indicates she suffered serious and substantial burn injuries on January 26, 2021, when the lid suddenly exploded off of her Ninja Foodi during normal use, spraying her with its scalding hot contents.

“While the pressure cooker was in use for cooking, the pressure cooker’s lid unexpectedly and suddenly blew off the pot in an explosive manner,” Diggins’ lawsuit states. “The contents of the pressure cooker were forcefully ejected out of the pot and onto Plaintiff, causing severe, disfiguring burns.”

The lawsuit points out that SharkNinja markets the pressure cooker as having “14 safety features” which are supposed to prevent such an explosion from happening. However, Diggins claims the pressure cooker was defectively and negligently designed, and failed to function properly in preventing the lid from coming off of the Ninja Foodi during pressurized operation.

The complaint calls the company’s marketing of the safety features as “not just misleading, they are flatly wrong, and put innocent consumers like Plaintiff directly in harm’s way.”

Pressure Cooker Explosion Lawsuits

Modern electronic pressure cookers have become increasingly popular in recent decades, amid marketing that promotes advanced safety features which are supposed to prevent pressure cooker explosions that have plagued older, stove-top designs. Products have been marketed under a number of brand names, through social media, websites and home shopping stations.

Most of the problems involve similar pressure cooker burn injuries which occurred after the lid was removed while the contents were still under high pressure, typically resulting in burns covering a large percentage of the user’s body. However, other injuries linked to pressure cookers have included eye injuries, broken bones and other complications that resulted from electrocutions, spills or explosions.

As more of these electric pressure cookers have been introduced in recent years, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued several pressure cooker recalls over problems where lids were able to be opened while contents are under pressure, allowing hot contents to be expelled and causing a scald or burn injury to individuals in the immediate area.